What's the current best mobile phone for someone going unlocked/prepaid?

As the title says. I'm moving off of Verizon and going to prepaid (probably T-Mobile $30/mo) very soon; I've used Android devices for many years but am open to change (not to Apple products, though).

I value screen quality (color accuracy, viewing angles, a display that won't fatigue my eyes), usability (i.e. customization), and aesthetics. That is, I probably won't get a Galaxy S IV because it looks terrible. I typically use my phone to browse the web and read news (lots of this), play some casual games, and stay in contact with others. I don't watch videos, other than occasional Youtube usage, and don't use my phone to listen to music either.

That said, I want a phone that will be fast and responsive. My two largest qualms coming from the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is the slightly poor battery life but more importantly lag. It's just not quick enough for me.

Anyone have any suggestions? I'm leaning towards the HTC One, but the LG Optimus G Pro seems great (I don't mind the massive screen size; in fact, it might be better for reading Pulse).

The Nexus 4 is the best choice. Its battery life isn't as much improved over the GNex as everyone would've liked, but I think that can be overlooked considering the $300-350 price. I wouldn't pay $600+ for an unlocked HTC One or Optimus G - I can't imagine they offer anything over the Nexus 4 to justify double the price.

you just described every strength of the iphone. mine can get 2-2.5 days with low email use

and the lag is non-existent

Having just gone from an iPhone 4 to a Nexus 4, I can tell you that the Nexus 4 is far and away better in almost every aspect. I find the battery on the Nexus is a little shorter, but that's because I find myself using the Nexus much more than the iPhone. The bigger screen and speed is the main reason.

I recently started commuting by train so I've been leaning on my Nexus 4 pretty heavily for reading and the screen size makes a huge difference relative to the iPhone 4 I had.

For prepaid I think the Nexus 4 is the phone to beat. Low price tag, competitive with anything less than a Galaxy S4. Pentaband so it works on AT&T (GoPhone) and T-Mobile. I think the main exceptions are if you're super into the fastest LTE network, where you definitely want Verizon, and storage, where it's limited and not upgradable.

flyingember wrote:

you just described every strength of the iphone. mine can get 2-2.5 days with low email use

and the lag is non-existent

Though it's a lot more expensive and TMobile's 1900 mhz coverage is still spotty.

Is that actually true? I've never heard anyone complain about it, and the Nexus 4 is an S-LCD which generally have pretty good color reproduction. Maybe you're thinking of the Galaxy Nexus? Some people do complain about colors on AMOLED.

Is that actually true? I've never heard anyone complain about it, and the Nexus 4 is an S-LCD which generally have pretty good color reproduction. Maybe you're thinking of the Galaxy Nexus? Some people do complain about colors on AMOLED.

My friends who have these also say the screens look a bit blue or even washed out. Some reviewers point it out, too. Anandtech was particularly harsh:

"I’m convinced the results that we’re getting out of the Nexus 4 basically represent no attempt at calibrating the display, and as a result the numbers suffer."

Nexus 4's lack of LTE doesn't matter - T-Mo's HSDPA+ network is just about in the same ballpark as AT&T's LTE.

What is AT&T's LTE like? Rogers averages at 50Mbps (I'm in the 6th biggest city in Canada). We have a carrier here with HSDPA+, and they promise an average of only 20Mbps.

Lack of LTE is a major strike against the Nexus 4. Raw speed isn't the only advantage to LTE, LTE also provides much lower lag. Another major gripe for many people (except me) is the inability to add additional storage.

Nexus 4's lack of LTE doesn't matter - T-Mo's HSDPA+ network is just about in the same ballpark as AT&T's LTE.

What is AT&T's LTE like? Rogers averages at 50Mbps (I'm in the 6th biggest city in Canada). We have a carrier here with HSDPA+, and they promise an average of only 20Mbps.

Lack of LTE is a major strike against the Nexus 4. Raw speed isn't the only advantage to LTE, LTE also provides much lower lag. Another major gripe for many people (except me) is the inability to add additional storage.

I don't believe anyone is missing out by not having 20-50 Mbps on their phone. What are you going to do with that speed?

Yeah, lower latency is nice. But for most practical purposes you won't be hurting with HSPA+. LTE isn't worth the insane premium price the U.S. carriers like to charge.